Editor:

One of the cornerstones of our community has reached a milestone in his personal life. Dr. Henry C. Mullins, affectionately known as “Moon” to his friends, recently celebrated his 80th birthday.

Dr. Mullins began his practice of medicine in Fairhope in 1956 when there were very few doctors and no hospital in town. He established his practice on Magnolia Street. In those early days, Dr. Mullins would regularly make house calls to care for his patients. Later, he began Bay Medical Clinic with Doctors Dietze, Yancey and Johnson.

After several years, it became obvious to Dr. Mullins that Fairhope needed a hospital. It was primarily through his efforts that Thomas Hospital was created. Dr. Mullins, together with other community leaders David Fuller, John Beasley, Sam Dyson, Clarence Bishop, Paul Strickland and Bill Ruffles, worked hard for many years to raise the money necessary to build Thomas Hospital. As a community, we are indebted to Dr. Mullins for initiating the founding of Thomas Hospital, which has had a positive impact on so many of our lives.

In 1976, Dr. Mullins pioneered and created the Family Practice Department of the University of South Alabama and served as chairman for 15 years. The H.C. Mullins, M.D. Award is presented annually to the graduate displaying “excellence in the ability to apply principles, practice and philosophies of family medicine and caring for patients and families.”

In recent years Dr. Mullins has become passionate in the work of electronic medical records and is nationally known as a leader in the American Medical Informatics Association. In 2000, he was presented the President’s Award by the American Medical Informatics Association in recognition of his “vision and leadership in shaping the integration of medical informatics and primary care through his work with the newly named AMIA Primary Care Working Group.” Dr. Mullins is a consultant in medical informatics at the Crozer Keystone Health System in Philadelphia, Pa., and professor emeritus in the Department of Family Practice at the University of South Alabama.

Dr. Mullins created the Southwest Alabama Abuse network, which incorporates telemedicine in the diagnosis and treatment of possibly sexually abused children in rural Alabama.

Our community is grateful to Dr. Mullins for his contributions to the community, both as a doctor and as a citizen, and we wish him a very “Happy 80th Birthday.”

Fairhope